


bullet point fic/headcanon

by nightquills



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Allusions to canon typical violence/abuse, Alternate Universe - Howl's Moving Castle Fusion, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Alternate Universe - Valentine's Day (2010) Fusion, Astronomy, English Major Andrew Minyard, Found Family, Hospitals, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mentions of the other foxes - Freeform, Neil Josten's birthday parties, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:54:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22825204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightquills/pseuds/nightquills
Summary: listen, okay? i take too long to write to actually flesh out my ideas as it is. have these little snippets instead, in the hopes that perchance i'll get something completed for once.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 3
Kudos: 52





	1. english major andrew minyard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on [my tumblr](https://nightquills.tumblr.com/post/172881658624/okay-but-imagine-andrew-minyard-loving-books-and)

  * okay, but imagine andrew minyard loving books and double majoring in english 
  * it probably has its roots in his childhood
    * the escapism of reading sounds pretty good when you’re absolutely miserable in your own life
    * no matter what new house/school he gets moved to, the availability of books is a constant 
      * andrew definitely “borrowed” books from his foster siblings ~~and probably ended up getting into fights over it~~
  * for as little as he chooses to speak, he really _can_ write and argue a point
    * catch andrew writing cutting analysis of the ways in which an author’s personal bias and upbringing come through in their works
    * taking a verbal shit on the misportrayal of mental illness in literature across the decades
    * tearing down the fetishization and sexualization of young people in the literary canon + the casual usage of sexual assault as a plot point
  * his eidetic memory would mean he can recall quotes at the drop of a hat
    * i’m not saying to imagine andrew minyard reciting poetry from memory, but i’m sure he had to do it at _some point_ in one of his classes
  * andrew takes a book along when he drives neil and kevin to their late night practices
    * andrew lying on his back on the bleachers, holding a book above his face
    * cutting neil and kevin off when he gets through a certain number of chapters
  * i imagine the pockets of andrew’s hoodies are probably stretched out from the books he’s shoved in there to free up his hands for a moment 
    * neil jokes that andrew should get larger armbands so that he can shove books in there. he gets a book thrown at him
  * holy fuck, english anthologies are so fricking big and heavy??? andrew’s arm and back muscles have another reason for being so fricking built
    * neil shells out the money to get him a fancy tablet so he doesn’t have to carry around quite so many books
    * andrew scoffs at it at first, but it allows him to read one-handed ~~so that the other hand can thread its fingers through neil’s hair~~ which is convenient
  * it becomes A Thing on neil’s bad nights for andrew to sit with him on the couch and read to him
    * neil never stayed at school long enough to really get through the assigned books, and going to school overseas for so long means he really isn’t familiar with any of the “classics” 
      * also yeah, there’s no way that neil was told any bed time stories when he was little, so that’s another list of books he’s never read before
    * andrew’s voice is just… so soothing for neil to listen to. he’s lost count of the times that he’s fallen asleep on the couch to andrew’s voice
    * neil has definitely tried to convince andrew to do different voices for the different characters
      * “there’s not enough chocolate in the world for that. 136%”
    * this maybe inspires neil to read andrew books in foreign languages on andrew’s own bad nights
      * they’ve discovered together that russian fairy tales are weird as hell 
      * neil definitely does try to do different voices for different characters, ~~if only to see the way that sometimes particularly funny ones almost make andrew smile~~
  * andrew is always comparing neil to characters in the books
    * he reads neil _the adventures of pinocchio_ and says “wow, neil, someone wrote a book based on you” 
      * referring, of course, to the lying
      * neil comes back with “you made me real, so i guess so”
        * “…..143%”
    * of course when he reads neil _huck finn_ , he makes approximately 15 comments along the lines of “look, another run away”
    * andrew subsequently ignores neil’s comparisons of him to the hero of each story they read
      * ~~_of course_ this fucking pipe dream is comparing him to the huntsman instead of the wolf~~
  * _the little prince_ is one of neil’s favorites for andrew to read to him
    * “of course you love the one with the fox in it. junkie.” 
    * and neil does love the fox, but more than that he maybe sees bits of himself and andrew in the story
      * “i have lived a great deal among grown-ups. i have seen them intimately, close at hand. and that hasn’t much improved my opinion of them.”
      * “what does that mean—tame?“ 
        * “it is an act too often neglected,” said the fox. “it means to establish ties." 
        * ”…if you tame me, then we shall need each other. to me, you will be unique in all the world. to you, i shall be unique in all the world.”
      * “what must i do, to tame you?” asked the little prince.
        * “you must be very patient,” replied the fox. “first you will sit down at a little distance from me—like that—in the grass. i shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. words are the source of misunderstandings. but you will sit a little closer to me, every day…" 
      * “oh, little prince! bit by bit i came to understand the secrets of your sad little life…”
      * "of course i love you,” the flower said to him. “it is my fault that you have not known it all the while.”
      * “it seemed to me that he was rushing headlong toward an abyss from which I could do nothing to restrain him…”
        * "i shall not leave you,” i said.
  * andrew and neil’s eventual apartment together is full of bookshelves that the cats love to climb on 
    * more than once the cats have knocked over books while andrew and neil are asleep, rudely waking them up 
      * “i’m going to kick those fucking furballs out, neil” 
      * ….he doesn’t kick them out. he moves the heavier books to the lower shelves and always makes sure to push them all the way back




	2. howl's moving castle AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on [my tumblr](https://nightquills.tumblr.com/post/182941455664/no-one-asked-for-this-but-im-giving-it-to-you)

no one asked for this, but i’m giving it to you anyway: a howl’s moving castle/all for the game au

  * neil is sophie…  

    * okay, i have two different ideas for neil’s curse: 
      * while neil is running from his father, mary curses his appearance to try and disguise him. maybe every time he tells a lie, his disguise is reinforced? meaning he has to truly tell the truth about himself to fully break his curse
      * orrrrr, neil is working somewhere temporarily after his mother’s death and riko, aka the witch of the waste, comes in. neil being neil, he roasts the shit out of riko—not realizing who he is and how dangerous he is. riko somehow doesn’t realize who neil is at their first meeting either, and curses him to get back at him
    * just like sophie has magic of her own, i’m sure neil does too. he probably only associates magic with negative things, though—his father’s cruelty, the hardships of being on the run—and doesn’t know much beyond purely practical, brute force magic 
      * nathan is still a hitman, but he’s a magical hitman. not a pretty picture to think of
    * neil is still a runaway at heart for a good while, which means he definitely appreciates the multiple doors of the castle and the ability that it gives for him to slip away, if he needs to
  * …which makes andrew howl  

    * andrew was apprenticed to a great witch, cassandra spear, after years of being kicked out of different apprenticeships the state foster system forced him into after his powers manifested
    * he left because of cassandra’s son, drake. who was unfortunately more learned than andrew and used that to his advantage 
      * don’t worry, aaron will kill him. it’ll be a painful death
  * kevin is a falling star like calcifer  

    * andrew happened to be there as kevin fell, and saved him from riko
    * so basically a lot of the conflict in the books is about riko trying to get kevin back just like in canon
    * kevin and neil make a deal like sophie and calcifer did—if neil can free kevin and andrew from their deal, kevin will help to break neil’s curse 
      * andrew definitely disapproves of neil’s sudden appearance—what if he’s one of riko’s?
      * but he can also see the curse that neil is under, though he knows he can’t break it himself, and he hates that he’s interested in this fucking idiot that’s inserted himself into andrew’s home, but kevin won’t let him get rid of him
      * “i’m not a puzzle” “i’ll still solve you”
  * i’m thinking aaron is probably andrew’s much put upon apprentice  

    * maybe tilda hated magic and didn’t teach anything to aaron—nor allow him to turn to anyone else—so he turns to andrew once they meet
    * cue andrew learning about tilda’s abuse and “taking care” of her. unfortunately, aaron is just as upset about it as in canon, which only adds to the tension already present from the unequal power balance of mentor/apprentice
    * god dammit andrew, your brother wants to learn actually useful spells and you’re teaching him things like how to shine boots??
    * he probably turns to a healer witch in one of the villages that the castle has an entrance in to learn (hi katelyn!)
  * nicky is the scarecrow, trying to follow the castle around because he recognizes aaron (he probably hasn’t met andrew yet) and is trying to get his help to break the curse he’s under  

    * i hate this idea but maybe luther and maria paid someone to cast it on nicky in the hopes that it would teach him a lesson and make him want to be “normal”
    * once aaron recognizes nicky and tells andrew about him, they try to break nicky’s curse until they realize they have to go to a wizard specializing in people to object transformation—erik
  * they probably don’t have much food or money in the castle because andrew is very specific about what requests he accepts and just generally apathetic about using his skills  

    * (also consider: instead of messing with hair dye, neil accidentally changes the color of andrew’s clothes while trying to wash them?)
    * (l i s t e n, he’s just learning how to clean and stuff, okay? it was an honest mistake)
    * (that being said: andrew being confronted with all his clothes being turned pastel. being pissed—or as much as he can be, considering he doesn’t have his heart and can’t feel much emotion—but trying not to show it and wearing the clothes anyway because he doesn’t have the funds to replace them. pastel andrew, everyone, thank u for your time)
  * wymack would be the head of the wizards of the military of the small country of palmetto, which is at war with the neighboring kingdom belonging to the moriyamas  

    * the other foxes would be the wizards and witches that responded to his call/conscription
    * wymack tries to convince andrew to help, but he’s not successful until neil convinces him 
      * (neil goes in andrew’s place at first, which is how neil meets the other foxes)
      * dan is wymack’s second in command, renee specializes in defensive magic now, though her initial strength was in…less savory fields of magic, allison is great at illusion work, and matt is like the magical equivalent of a battering ram
      * idek about seth, don’t ask
  * speaking of riko, the fucker, yeah he’s the witch of the waste. he was exiled from his home country as the second son—probably bc of concerns about him trying to upset the line of succession or some shit  

    * riko is just as butthurt about his place in the family as he is in canon, thus him trying to become powerful enough to fuck shit up and seriously be a contender for the throne
    * the ravens are probably other magicians that riko has bound to himself to increase his own power
    * poor jean is the star that riko trapped after he failed to get kevin 
      * maybe renee will save him like she does in canon?
  * riko eventually alerts nathan to where neil is after neil refuses to use his powers for riko’s gain/join his raven puppets  

    * the countdown shows up in the form of notes left on the doorsteps of the castle’s different entrances, wherever they are
    * neil gets the message—he can’t escape, and that means neither can anyone else
    * the martyr turns himself in, but maybe during the torture his powers manifest and andrew and kevin show up to help break him out? 
      * andrew thought that whatever feelings he had for neil were imaginary—he can he can barely feel anything with kevin holding his heart, afterall
      * …but that didn’t stop pure terror from gripping him when he found out neil was gone
  * whatever happens, don’t worry, riko and nathan are still killed, neil frees kevin and andrew from their contract, neil breaks his own curse  

    * andrew is immediately hit by a semitruck of emotions for this stupid runaway as soon as his heart is back in his chest, but neil promises that he’s there to stay this time and he’ll help andrew sort through these new feelings
  * neil finds evidence that riko started the war between palmetto and the moriyamas to create instability for him to take advantage of, and presenting this evidence to ichirou leads to the formation of a truce, however uneasy, between the two kingdoms  

    * it’s not a happily ever after, per se, but everyone neil cares about is free and alive
    * and for all the opportunities that the castle gives him to run, he knows now that he would never want to take them




	3. happy birthday, neil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Believe me when I say that I'm just as shocked as you are that I actually had this ready on time. Enjoy the shenanigans, y'all
> 
> Cross-posted to [my tumblr](https://nightquills.tumblr.com/post/614084216241717248/happy-birthday-neil)

  * once the upperclassmen + nicky begin to comprehend the degree to which neil’s childhood absolutely Sucked, they band together to give him a lot of the stereotypical birthday parties that he missed out on growing up
    * and let’s be real, none of the other foxes had particularly easy childhoods either. it’s a chance for them all to do the things that they wish they could have when they were younger too
  * there’s some debate over whether to celebrate on neil’s real birthday, or the one that he chose when he first became neil josten
    * on one hand, they want to respect the truth that he’s given them about who he really is, and maybe celebrating in january would show their appreciation for that?
    * but they also know that his real birthday doesn't have the best associations for neil, and they wonder if it would be better to pick the newer date that doesn’t have those shadows hanging over it 
      * (and when dan asked neil about it in TKM, he said that they could do something for march 31st)
    * maybe enough time has passed since last year’s bullshit with riko and neil’s father, though? 
    * ultimately they decide fuck it—january 19th and march 31st are far enough away that they can justify celebrating both to themselves
  * bowling party!!!
    * it should come as no surprise that neil gets super competitive over it and promptly decides he is in it to win it. despite the fact that he has never bowled in his life before 
      * give the boy an A for effort, but every other ball goes in the gutter
      * cue the teasing asking if he wants one of those ramp things for children to help him line it up, to which neil pouts very extensively 
    * renee comes out on top every single game
      * when asked how she does it, she says that she used to chaperone a lot of the activities for the kids at her church, and bowling was a pretty common one
    * allison complains about how gross and outdated the bowling shoes are. and honestly? she’s right
    * andrew tries to subtly flex on everyone by picking one of the heaviest bowling balls, and neil laughs when he notices
    * there’s something about bowling alley pizza that always slaps, so of course they order pizzas to split between them all
      * kevin has worn himself out trying to convince everyone to eat more healthy food, so he just orders a pizza with literally every available vegetable on it. he’s the only one that eats any of it, bless his heart
      * of course the foxes get into the famed debate over whether pineapple is an appropriate pizza topping. it gets very loud 
  * arcade party!!!
    * they originally wanted to do chuck-e-cheese but they realize that the complete lack of children in their group rules that out
      * aaron and andrew do not appreciate the suggestion that they might be short enough to pass for children, thanks, go fuck yourself
    * they do find another arcade though 
      * there’s a laser tag room in this one, but they quickly realize that that’s probably not the best idea for a person who has literally been shot at multiple times in the past. so they skip that 
    * neil and kevin get in a skee ball competition 
      * kevin tries to lecture neil about proper technique. “you have got to be fucking kidding me,” neil says
    * matt teaches neil how to do dance dance revolution
      * matt is very good. neil almost falls on his face because he’s not using the railings at first
    * allison loves venting her rage via whack-a-mole
    * dan is the queen of pac-man
    * andrew and aaron team up against nicky and renee for air hockey
    * the whole group tries to test their athlete reflexes on [that one game](https://www.icegame.com/images/category/large/93.png) where you have to slam the button to stop it as close to the jackpot as possible 
      * andrew actually does hit the jackpot, and everyone is freaking out as he just stands there and stoically stares at the machine spewing out the tickets 
    * they pool all the tickets they’ve won together at the end so that neil can pick a prize for himself 
      * he gets a lava lamp, and he has just enough left over to get a little alien keychain that he promptly moves all of keys over to
  * build-a-bear party!!!
    * to the surprise of literally no one, neil chooses [the fox](https://www.buildabear.com/online-exclusive-fox/027918.html)
      * he’s given a hard time when he goes to choose the clothes for it. “neil, you better not dress him as badly as you do yourself” says allison, to widespread agreement from everyone else 
    * andrew picks [a rabbit](https://www.buildabear.com/online-exclusive-snuggly-bunny/028404.html), to which neil pointedly raises his eyebrow
      * andrew deadpan says “aesthetic” as he grabs a little leather jacket to dress it
    * kevin complains about the lack of exy paraphernalia to dress up for [his tiger](https://www.buildabear.com/tiger/016015.html?cgid=stuffed-an)
      * dan says that maybe he could stop by the school store on campus and get one of the school pride baby t-shirts they sell there
      * kevin pouts but eventually settles for a pirate look instead
    * aaron makes [a koala](https://www.buildabear.com/online-exclusive-koala/026896.html?cgid=stuffed-animals) in a cheer outfit to give to katelyn 
    * dan gets [a t-rex](https://www.buildabear.com/dino-mite-t-rex/027541.html) and dresses it up like a rockstar
    * matt gets a [bernese mountain dog](https://www.buildabear.com/promise-pets-bernese-mountain-dog/024922.html?cgid=stuffed-animals-shop-by-category-dogs) and a boxing outfit
    * renee gets [a frog](https://www.buildabear.com/spring-green-frog/028216.html?cgid=stuffed-animals-shop-by-category-zoo-and-farm-animals) and puts it in a pastel skirt and shirt combo
    * allison gets [a hippo](https://www.buildabear.com/online-exclusive-happy-lil-hippo/026918.html?cgid=stuffed-animals-shop-by-category-zoo-and-farm-animals) and a sequin dress with the matching headband 
    * nicky dresses his [bear](https://www.buildabear.com/grizzly-bear/024640.html?cgid=stuffed-animals) in [a pink rainbow heart hoodie](https://www.buildabear.com/pink-rainbow-heart-hoodie/027588.html), surprising absolutely no one
    * imagine all the foxes looking at each other and trying not to crack up as they do the little stuffing/heart ceremony
      * god bless the poor employee that has to deal with their shit, honestly
  * karaoke party!!!
    * nicky is the most excited to do it, but he also takes forever to decide what song to do because there are so many he wants to sing 
      * eventually he decides that you can’t go wrong with queen or bi-con freddie mercury, so he does [“don’t stop me now” ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgzGwKwLmgM)
    * the girls all decide to sing a song together—allison convinces them to do [“how to be a heartbreaker”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKNcuTWzTVw)
      * matt is literally the personification of the heart eyes emoji as he watches dan sing
    * matt gets neil to do a duet with him, and they end up doing a very overblown rendition of [“don't go breaking my heart” ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0qW9P-uYfM)
    * dan makes a joke about feeling jealous, so matt serenades her with [“treasure”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPvuNsRccVw)
      * she won’t admit it over her laughter, but she’s actually very touched
    * renee does a lovely rendition of [“rhiannon”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQAK6sVovUk)
    * aaron sings [“time to pretend”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9dSYgd5Elk)
    * everyone makes fun of kevin’s taste in music when he sings [“other side”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn_YodiJO6k)
      * he is dubbed “kevin ‘dad rock’ day” from that point on 
    * andrew flatly refuses to sing and no one is really willing to try and convince him on that one 
      * though he may not show it, he actually is very much enjoying seeing his teammates make fools of themselves
  * nicky make little party bags to pass around, including the stereotypical party bag favors 
    * little temporary tattoos
      * cue everyone teaming up to make fun of kevin by putting the gaudiest, sparkliest ones on their cheeks to make fun of his chess piece
    * little containers of bubbles with animals on the lids
      * imagine andrew getting annoyed with someone and blowing bubbles in their face with the most unimpressed fucking expression on his face until they shut up 
    * friendship bracelets
      * they laugh when they see them, but don’t let that fool you—almost everyone puts them on right away
    * glow stick necklaces
    * bouncy balls, which are inevitably taken to the next team practice and used to wreak havoc. poor wymack, honestly 
    * annoying party blowers
      * neil makes it his mission to sneak up on matt and blow it right in his ear, because matt jumps literally every single time 
    * a fuckton of candy
      * andrew would never say it, but he likes the goodie bags just for this fact alone
        * neil not so sneakily sneaks all of his candy into andrew’s bag
    * wacky sunglasses, which they promptly use to take a number of increasingly ridiculous group photos
  * they decide to do cupcakes instead of a real cake so that everyone can get the kind that they want
    * since neil isn’t a big sweets fan, they always get him one of those little fruit tarts instead 
    * when neil blows out the candles, his wish is that he’ll have the chance to make more happy memories with his family just like this
  * neil’s favorite part isn’t actually doing any of the things at his birthday parties; his favorite part is really that his friends were all together and laughing, and he saves every single picture taken 



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably spent way too much time on Build-A-Bear's website for any of you to ever respect me


	4. andrew's heart monitor doesn't lie AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on [my twitter](https://twitter.com/nightquills/status/1305030193896189952)
> 
> Inspired by [this reddit thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/relationship_advice/comments/iq00ti/my_roommates_both_24f_heart_monitor_speeds_up/)

  * AU: andrew and neil are roommates. andrew is in the hospital after having a motorcycle accident, and neil keeps coming to visit him at the hospital to bring him stuff and keep him company. every time neil walks in, andrew’s heart monitor picks up.
  * neil thinks it’s just because andrew is in a vulnerable position, being stuck in bed and unable to get up—that it’s a stress reaction andrew has any time someone walks into the room. he addresses it with one of andrew’s nurses to see if they can do anything to help.
  * but the nurse says she hasn’t noticed anything of the sort—maybe she even pulls up the computer records so neil can see andrew’s bpm when she walked in to give him his pills earlier. neil wonders what it is about him, specifically, that makes andrew react like this.
  * of course his mind doesn’t consider the possibility that andrew is attracted to him—that’s the furthest thought from his mind. instead he’s combing backwards in his head, trying to think of anything he might have said or done to make andrew uncomfortable around him.
  * he can’t come up with anything, though, and he knows that andrew isn’t the type to not speak up when something is bothering him. so neil decides to bite the bullet and ask andrew outright what’s going on.
  * cue the disbelieving stare and raised eyebrow from andrew. cue a sort of unwilling explanation and confession. cue neil pacing back and forth in the hospital room, because he needs to process this and get some energy out, but he doesn’t want to leave andrew alone.
  * neil doesn’t know much about relationships, but he does know how bad it looks when someone just walks away after someone else confesses their feelings—he’s seen that in enough movies.
  * cue neil working his own feelings out as andrew watches from his hospital bed, unable to really move but still shifting as much as he can to track neil’s every step.
  * cue neil eventually coming over and watching how even that is enough to rocket andrew’s pulse up again. cue neil hesitantly reaching out to hold andrew’s hand, giving andrew plenty of time to say no. 
  * cue andrew using his strength to pull neil even closer. cue neil leaning in, so careful of his weight and position in relation to andrew and his injuries. cue andrew stretching up just enough to bring their lips together.




	5. neil is having a bad week

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on [my twitter](https://twitter.com/nightquills/status/1312304761740328960)

  * neil is having a bad week—one where he’s not sure how to leave his past behind, not sure who neil josten even is, not sure how to be a person, not sure how to reach out to others and let them reach back. but that’s alright, because andrew stays.
  * while neil stares into space, feeling heavy yet somehow still hollow, spiraling and absently—desperately—wondering if anything about himself is real enough to matter, andrew pulls neil close and shelters him against his chest.
  * andrew runs a hand up and down neil’s back, through his hair, reminding neil through touch alone that he exists in this moment. that even when he crashes under the waves and can’t find it in himself to kick his way to the surface, someone cares enough to dive in after him.
  * andrew breathes slowly and with purpose, and soon neil’s frantic, panicked panting slows to match. neil falls asleep to the steady beat of andrew’s heart, the reassuring hold of his arms, and things seem a little more manageable, a little more real, when he wakes.




	6. stargazing, part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on [my twitter](https://twitter.com/nightquills/status/1342164692316393472)

  * when neil was young, before exy and before they left baltimore in the dead of night, mary took him outside and held a telescope to his face. she pointed to the sky, showed him how the planets were aligning for the first time in decades—since before her own birth, even.
  * “look up, abram,” she said. “otherwise these moments will pass you by. and who knows what will happen between now and the next one—you may never see it.” even then, she knew how precarious their situation was.
  * she had grown up in this world herself, and she carried no delusions about the average lifespan of those stuck in it. instead, she looked to the stars—at least for a time.
  * on the run, living on borrowed time and stolen money, there was no moment to look up. looking at the stars was a distraction that, like the illusions of momentary happiness and safety and comfort, they could no longer afford.
  * mary locked them inside together when she could, closing the blinds and locking the windows. even when they drove through the night, she didn’t let abram’s eyes wander.
  * he should be looking at the traffic, seeing if they were being followed, or giving her directions from the map, or “studying harder and fixing your damn accent, you stupid boy.” when she caught him looking up, she grabbed his head and pulled his eyes back down to earth.
  * in that fashion, he missed the stars and planets moving through the sky. he missed the comets streaking by, he missed the eclipses, he missed the harvest moons.
  * and after they happened, he’d see the articles on the fronts of newspapers and magazines in the endless convenient stores they stopped in. he’d see the statements—won’t happen again until next year, won’t happen again for 30 or 50 or 70 years.
  * every time he felt regret curl in his stomach for having missed it, knowing that he probably wouldn’t live to see the next one. it felt foolish to dream and picture a life where he could when he knew what was chasing them, could feel the wolves nipping at their heels.
  * that fateful night on the west coast when he burned mary’s body, he looked up again. seeing the smoke rise up and try to cover the stars seemed fitting—even in death, mary was still trying to get him to focus and survive.
  * his return to exy makes that all the more ironic.
  * (to be continued) 




	7. valentine's day AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on [my twitter](https://twitter.com/nightquills/status/1350609573498007553)

  * i know miscommunication Sucks, but listen. i’m thinking of a vaguely valentine’s day (2010) au where neil’s best friend, matt, is a florist. neil and andrew haven’t quite gotten to the “meet the friends” stage because they’re cagey motherfuckers who like their privacy,
  * but they’re very into each other. so into each other that for once, andrew is considering buying into the valentine’s day bullshit—because neil deserves presents and to know that he’s cared for, regardless of the trite capitalist undertones of the holiday at large.
  * andrew gets the name of aaron’s preferred flower shop and he’s off. he won’t tell anyone on pain of death, but he totally was looking up the meaning of flowers to try and pick the perfect thing to get for neil.
  * matt is slammed with business at the flower shop, because of course. it’s a week to valentine’s day, and everyone and their mother is trying to buy flowers. he’s in a customer-service daze when a short blonde in all-black steps up to the counter and requests a delivery.
  * he’s still not really paying attention when he’s taking down the delivery details, and hears that this bouquet is going to a “Mr. N. Josten” from a “Mr. A. Minyard.” it takes so much self control to not interrogate the man there,
  * but matt knows neil will introduce them when he’s ready, and not a moment before. he helps the man check out with a giddy smile on his face, which earns him a severely unimpressed eyebrow raise. wow, matt can see how this guy and neil might get along.
  * he goes about his day as usual until one of the final customers for the day shows up—lo and behold, it’s “A. Minyard” once again. he’s changed—seemingly in scrubs, this time?—and there’s a visibly harried and tired look on his face now.
  * before matt can even say anything, the man is getting down to business. a delivery of a two dozen roses to a “Mrs. K. Minyard” from a “Mr. A Minyard,” and matt’s heart sinks. he was prepared to give this guy a chance, but now? he’s so hurt, FURIOUS, on neil’s behalf.
  * the only reason he doesn’t say anything is because he’s trying to avoid outright yelling in the flower shop. the bastard leaves just as quickly as he came in, and matt doesn’t know what to do. he knows how rare it is for neil to have feelings for someone,
  * and this asshole seems to have taken advantage of that and broken neil’s trust. matt decides that he has to do SOMETHING—he can’t just let this guy get away with cheating on his best friend. but he has to be careful about this, for neil’s sake.
  * cue matt snooping around and asking neil leading questions, trying to get to the bottom of this and protect his best friend, his FAMILY, as best as he can. mishaps and schadenfreude ensue, but the important part is the final reveal—
  * the fact that ANDREW minyard is very gay, very into neil, and definitely does not have a wife. his brother, on the other hand? dr. AARON minyard, who is very straight, and very happily married to his wife, katelyn.
  * valentine’s day celebrations otherwise go off without a hitch. andrew is at least glad neil has other people in his life looking out for him, even when it’s tough. he’s still going to lord this over matt for as long as he and neil are together, though—no doubt about that.
  * andrew and neil’s double dates with matt and dan are sure to be fun when they start, that’s for sure. andrew has earned a permanent discount at the flower shop for his troubles, which he takes great advantage of to make neil smile in that soft little way of his.




End file.
